Various attempts have heretofore been made to provide a satisfactory portable barbecue. Early attempts include a variety of large boxes for transporting cooking grates and utensils to and from a campsite. Examples of such structures are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 549,056 issued to Buzzacott for COOKING OUTFIT; 1,373,828 issued to Nottingham for HEATER AND COOKER; and 1,524,961 issued to Asche for PORTABLE COOKING APPLIANCE.
Other attempts have included numerous folding cooking grates and camping stoves. Folding grills designed to stand over a ground camp fire are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,102,649 issued to Dix for COLLAPSIBLE GRATE; 1,309,049 issued to Syrett for FOLDING GRILL AND APPURTENANCES; 1,473,056 issued to Steen for CAMP GRATE; and 1,484,476 issued to Currie for CAMP GRILL.
Folding grills were subsequently improved to include a fire basket to hold heating coals and a drip pan to contain ash and grease drippings. Such structures are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,467,480 issued to Hudson for PORTABLE GRILL; and 2,597,477 issued to Haislip for COLLAPSIBLE CAMP STOVE. Both of the latter structures involve complex assembly and arrangement of many independent parts for proper storage, making these structures difficult to use. These structures all provide permanent fire boxes and drip pans which must be adequately cleaned on site prior to folding the grill for transport. These structures also have the disadvantage of having exposed surfaces when folded which become dirty and greasy during use. Therefore, not only must the fire boxes and drip pans be cleaned by hand prior to disassembly, but so must other surfaces which will be exposed during transportation and storage in the folded position.
A complex structure for broiling, baking and frying is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,221,098 issued to Langsam for PORTABLE PICNIC STOVE. That structure does not fold and requires arrangement of many interchangeable parts for use. The Langsam structure also requires that the fire box and bottom of the stove, the latter of which accumulates the fire and grease drippings, be cleaned by hand before the device is transported more than a very short distance. In any event this device, like other prior art structures, requires that the fire box and drip pan be emptied and cleaned prior to transportation.
Another portable stove structure having a folding box and grate is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,466,343 issued to Rouse for CAMP STOVE. The stove is only capable of baking, not frying or broiling, and since no bottom is provided this stove must be placed at ground level so that ashes and food drippings can fall to and accumulate on the ground.
The most pertinent attempt to provide a satisfactory portable grill is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,515,521 issued to Loffredo for CAMPER'S STOVE. That structure loosely contains legs, grill, and fire box for a portable grill within a folded box frame. The folded frame opens to reveal a grill side-by-side with a table-like work surface. Four adjustable legs are fastened to the extreme corners and the fire box is suspended from the grill. The only way to adjust the distance between the grill and the coals during use is to directly handle the hot fire box or grill. The only collection of cooking residue provided is the unsatisfactory and incomplete collection provided by the fire box itself, so this stove must be used directly over the ground. No wind shielding is provided to protect the fire, food and user during use and the fire box must be emptied and cleaned before it may be folded and reinserted into the folded grill. Even when folded, the external surfaces of this stove are likely to retain greasy cooking residue.
None of the prior structures provide a satisfactory portable barbecue which obtains a single structure which may be used (i) directly over a ground campfire, (ii) with a fire basket while allowing cooking residue and ashes to fall to the ground, or (iii) with a fire basket and a drip pan to collect cooking residue and ashes. Furthermore, no prior portable barbecue with a drip pan has been provided which does not require unpleasant cleaning of the drip pan prior to folding and transporting the barbecue. Prior structures have simply failed to provide a portable barbecue system which can be conveniently transported after use without extensive cleaning or exposed cooking residue on the external surfaces of the folded barbecue grill. Finally, prior portable barbecues do not provide a portable barbecue system which may be readily cleaned at home after being transported in an uncleaned or semi-cleaned state.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a convenient portable barbecue system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable barbecue which allows several alternative methods for exposing food to a heat source.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a portable barbecue which may be used directly over a ground campfire, over the ground while providing its own fire source and allowing residue to fall to the ground, or independent of ground exposure providing both its own fire source and residue collector.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable barbecue system which may be transported after use without extensive cleaning and without unpleasant exposure to cooking residue and odors.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a barbecue system in which the barbecue can be conveniently transported after use without exposure to unpleasant cooking residue and which allows convenient cleaning after transportation.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide, in a portable barbecue system, means for storing the barbecue after use so as to minimize, during and after transportation, exposure to both cooking residue and the unpleasant odors associated with a used barbecue.
It is another object of the present invention to provide, in a portable barbecue system, means for protecting the fire and cooking areas from wind exposure.
Objects and advantageous of the invention are set forth in part herein and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.
The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations, steps and improvements herein shown and described.